


Your love is static (it pulls me in)

by BigTimeMoch



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Getting Back Together, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Pining, Texting, mythicalsecretsanta2019, rhett is bi but it's not really important to the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21781834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigTimeMoch/pseuds/BigTimeMoch
Summary: "I broke up with Marlene.""Oh shit."What else is he supposed to say? It's not exactly right to immediately deride your best friend’s girlfriend the second as they break up, but Link would be lying if he said he felt anything but relief about this news.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal, Rhett McLaughlin/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35
Collections: Mythical Secret Santa 2019





	Your love is static (it pulls me in)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyCynthiana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyCynthiana/gifts).



> This gift is for Heather aka ladycynthiana  
> I hope you like this little thing I wrote. Happy holidays!! 
> 
> Special thanks to NectarineMigraine for being my beta and helping this reach its full potential. 
> 
> Tittle from All Over Again by BTR because my username is there for a reason

It’s late afternoon when he receives Rhett's text. 

_I broke up with Marlene._

_Oh shit._

What else is he supposed to say? It's not exactly right to immediately deride your best friend’s girlfriend the second as they break up, but Link would be lying if he said he felt anything but relief about this news. 

It wasn’t a secret that Marlene was never exactly fond of Link. She'd make nasty remarks about his presence whenever they were in the same place. Most people thought she was just kidding around, but Link could see right through the clipped tone and jokey veneer thinly spread over those comments and saw them for what they were: she didn't want Rhett hanging out with his ex. 

Because Rhett and Link used to be a thing. No one was surprised when they started dating back in high school since they’d always been attached at the hip. It felt like a natural progression to just be together in every way possible. It just made sense, at least in Link’s mind, to end up together. Growing up together, his love for Rhett grew up with him and suddenly the term best friend couldn’t fit it all. Anything else felt dishonest; like a lie by omission.

College came around and they decided to go to the same school instead of trying out long-distance and putting unnecessary strain on their relationship. Again, they’d never truly considered anything else. But after the first year it became crystal clear they wanted different things out of the whole college experience. After another six months of fighting and trying to make it work, one day Link came home to their dorm to a very serious Rhett telling him that they’d make more sense as just friends after all. 

Link had cried a lot that night. But after some time and even more nights spent nearly blackout drunk, Link had come to terms with it. Or at least that’s what he told himself. Certainly, it helped a lot that they’re still a big part of each other’s lives--he hadn’t lost Rhett entirely. They’d lived together for a long time after the breakup and, right up until Marlene came around, they’d still been almost constantly together even after Link moved out. 

So Link understands that she doesn’t like him; maybe she feels threatened by his presence in Rhett’s life. And he gets it, he truly does, but it still hurts--maybe with an unhealthy intensity-- that he can’t see his best friend as much as he'd like to. Nobody really understood that he felt like he was missing an arm or a leg when he was apart from him for too long. 

It also doesn’t help that the feelings never left on Link’s end. He still feels his stomach do little somersaults when Rhett says he likes how he looks or how much he appreciates him as a friend. Maybe Marlene can see right through him as easily as he can see through her. Maybe she knows he still feels his heart has her boyfriend’s name etched into it… Well, ex-boyfriend now…

_So, what happened?_

_She was pissed off that we ended up_

_drinking until late the other day._

Link rolled his eyes even if he knew Rhett couldn’t see him. Of _course_ she got mad, and he was sure it wasn't because of the drinking. It had started as a before-Christmas get together with all of their friends at Link’s new place, but when everyone left they ended up just the two of them playing old songs from their childhood and having a great time together.

After the break up he’d always been so careful to avoid letting his eyes linger on his friend or let his hands wander too much. Because they were just friends and friends don’t think about the feel of the other’s tongue or the taste of their skin. But Link was feeling happy and loose from all the alcohol and started to let his guard slip. Their hands would graze when Rhett passed him another beer and Link could feel that spark that never really left all the way to his core, his stomach twisting in that pleasant warm way. Rhett was wearing that black button-up shirt Link gave him as a birthday present and it made Link feel almost dizzy. It reminded him of when he used to steal Link’s oversized hoodie back when they were together, proudly telling the world he was with Link in such an intimate way. This was the closest to that he could get to that now and it made him feel painfully nostalgic for a time when he could just lean in and touch him and kiss him without thought or consequence. The rest of the night was filled with flirty exchanges and lingering eye contact, and Rhett put his hand on Link’s knee, arm and back, leaving them all tingling and warm from the contact. He was getting to a point of seriously considering telling Rhett about his feelings. 

Then Marlene called. 

Somehow she knew they were together _and_ alone. Rhett tried ignoring his phone at first, trying to save the atmosphere they had going on, but eventually he caved in and answered her. And, oh boy, wasn’t she furious. Which again, was understandable to Link. The fight escalated so much he could hear her muffled screams coming loudly through Rhett's phone, even across the sofa. After Rhett hung up, he seemed upset and a lot more sobered up, simply saying he had to leave and leaving Link alone again. 

_What did she say?_

Rhett takes his sweet time answering, which in turn makes Link nervous. He didn’t like Marlene, but he really didn’t want to be the reason they broke up and have Rhett hold that against him. Every time that typing bubble comes up and then disappears Link can feel his chest growing tighter. 

_We talked about it_

_She kept saying that_

_I dunno_

_that I'm not over you._

_that I love you more than her._

_In the end, she gave me an ultimatum_

_She asked me to_

_choose: love or friends._

_So I did some thinking_

_And made my decision_

Link was sure his heart was going to beat out of his chest, between the anxiety that the possibility of Rhett hating him for ruining his relationship gave him and--as outlandish and improbable as it might be--the hope slowly swelling inside his chest that maybe, beyond all reason, he may have a second chance with Rhett. 

_And you chose friends?_

_Nah, dude_

_I choose love_

_What?_

_She's right._

_I'm not over you_

_Never have been I think_

_I still love you and I really_

_fucked up when I said I_

_wanted to be just friends_

_I think I was just scared_

_because we were fighting_

_so much_

_and before it used to be_

_so easy to just be together_

_but suddenly we had so_

_much going on and we could_

_rarely be just us and when_

_we were we would just fight_

_I was so afraid of losing you_

_that I took the easy route like_

_a coward_

_because honestly having_

_you there just as a friend_

_is better than not having_

_you at all_

_but the other night I_

_remembered how it_

_used to be_

_how good it used to be_

_I haven’t felt that way_

_in so long_

_I guess what I’m trying to say_

_is that I don’t want to be a_

_coward anymore._

_I want to try again_

_I think we still have it_

_don’t you?_

_I really want to try this time to_

_make this work_

_I promise I won’t bail if it gets_

_hard again_

_I really think this could work_

_again_

_I hope you do_

_You there?_

_omw_


End file.
